"Interesting," Hundunxi smiled with a playful look. "You reminded me of my brother, Hongjun, who was quite cunning. He was the first to notice something was wrong with Pangu." Hundunxi’s smile suddenly faded, drastically increasing the tension.

"I never liked Hongjun — he was too smart for his own good. Not to mention how he had the demeanor that he always knew everything, or the way he spoke in riddles."

Lin Fan steadied himself while staring at this primordial entity; he did not flinch nor show an ounce of fear — he simply waited. Then, Hundunxi suddenly laughed.

"You’re an interesting race. Well, I might as well tell you since our fate is now fundamentally linked," the Primordial Chaos Demon God uttered. He raised his head slightly to look at something in the distance. "Yes, Grand Dao locked us up because of something I did. As for exactly what I did? You don’t need to know."

Lin Fan frowned. "Fundamentally Linked?" These specific words were raising alarms in his mind.

Hundunxi gazed at him and sighed deeply. "It took me a long time to find a way to escape that prison. Your existence was the culmination of millions of people with a profound affinity with chaos and our kind. Each time they died, someone else inherited their power until the perfect vessel capable of releasing it was born.

"Then, imagine my surprise when I realized that our mother planned to release us after ensuring we had been properly ’reformed.’ The worst part is that she planned to do it through my vessel. That’s when I knew I needed to make a change. So, while she was secretly controlling the time it took to complete the vessel, I slowly transformed it into the perfect hiding place. The last thing I wanted was for her to discover me after the escape.

"So, yes, we are fundamentally linked together."

"You do want to take over my body!" Lin Fan suddenly blurted out.

Hundunxi looked at him with disdain. "Would you take over an ant’s body even if you were desperate?"

"Humans are not ants."

"Not from my perspective," Hundunxi rebutted. "Well, maybe not ant. After all, you are indeed an interesting and unique race. Born with a Dao Shape, and with great creativity and potential. However, it doesn’t change the fact that you are born so fragile."

"We might be born small and weak, but we can grow to any height. If humans can cultivate their bodies to be on par with Fiendgods, we can do the same for Chaos Demon Gods."

"I’ll pretend you didn’t say such blasphemous words," Hundunxi waved his hand. "But even if that were true, how long would that take, hmm? Instead of limiting myself to your human flesh, why wouldn’t I just rebuild my own original body?"

"Is that what you want? For me to help you rebuild your body and regain your former strength?"

"Among other things, but yes,"

"Like what?"

"I haven’t decided yet," Hundunxi replied. He had just escaped the prison and barely understood the Chaos Universe’s situation, so it was unwise of him to start planning his next move.

"Now, do we have an understanding?"

"One more thing."

"Are you sure?" Lin Fan’s heart skipped a beat as a chill ran down his spine.

"I am."

"Go ahead."

"I want your words, on your pride in your race and as the first life in the universe, that no matter what happens to me, you will not lay a single finger on my family."

"Familial love — what a great emotion. I miss having it," Hundunxi sighed. "I can’t make this progress since I need something to keep you in check. However, you can choose between your master, wife, and fellow disciples. Pick one, and I promised not to lay a single finger on them."

Lin Fan clenched his fist for a few seconds before relaxing it. "I choose my wife."

"Is this the emotion called love that my sister Desire often talked about?" Hundunxi shook his head. "Such an emotion designed for breeding is truly pointless and a major weakness."

"Do I have your words?"

"Yes, human, you have my words."

"Good." Lin Fan exhaled deeply.

"...Why are you still here?"

Lin Fan’s lips twitched. "You saw that I was tasked to track your brothers and sisters. Don’t you have anything to say?"

"Why would I?"

"I see."

"Anything else? Your presence is starting to irk me."

"The war is coming, and I need strength."

"Haha, greed — that’s an emotion that I am too familiar with." Hundunxi snapped his finger to implant a technique inside Lin Fan’s mind.

"This is..."

"A way to purify the power of chaos you wield. It’s truly a crime to call what you use chaos," Hundunxi said with disdain.

"Thank you," Lin Fan said before leaving his Sea of Consciousness. He took a moment to analyze every piece of the interaction while building a character model for Hundunxi. Only by knowing his enemy well enough can he plan for his future.

...

Dao Opening Sect, Transcendent Fate Mountain:

"Let’s not talk about the war," Wang Wei said, deciding to change the topic.

"Give me some of your old wine," Yan Liling asked as she summoned her cauldron to refine the wine and further elevate the taste. Cai Song immediately started to stare. She wanted to design a puppet as skilled as Yan Liling, but all her previous efforts had been unsuccessful.

Wang Wei handed her some of his best and oldest wine before focusing on Dong Lifen. "What actually happened to you?"

"Well, as soon as I ascended, I was transported to the inheritance of someone called the True Dream Lord. Albeit a bit jarring, I was excited for this opportunity and carefully passed the first trial. The second trial took me to another Chaos World, which I learned about after the rescue.

"Everything was proceeding smoothly until I met the spirit responsible for handing out the final reward. She noticed the Dream Luck Dynasty in my soul and told me I needed to get rid of it. I refused, and she did not accept no for an answer.

"I fought all the puppet guards she unleashed and held on until the sect came to my rescue."

"True Dream Lord? It seems this may be another Saint trying to hunt down new pawns," Wang Wei analyzed. "By the look of it, they wanted your soul to contain the purest power of dreams, with nothing else to muddle your status as a pawn."

"I figure as much," Dong Lifen sighed. The higher the cultivation, the more cultivators have to come into contact with and accept the sad truth that they are or can turn into a higher existence’s pawn at any time.

"Did the sect check your [Existence]?"

"Yes, but they didn’t find anything."

"That could mean the means implanted are more sophisticated, or more likely, you were just chosen as a pawn and haven’t been officially marked yet, which makes you quite lucky."

"Let’s hope."

Wang Wei felt the somber atmosphere and decided to change the topic. "How is the husband?"

"He’s doing very well." A bright smile was immediately plastered on Dong Lifen’s face. Her husband was now a Peak Eternal Emperor, and the only reason he hadn’t entered the Empyrean Realm yet was that they wanted to take things steadily to ensure a solid foundation.

"What Dao did he choose?"

"Ink and the Literary Way."

"That’s a good choice," Wang Wei nodded. "The Grand Sect Alliance has suffered a great blow and will continue to weaken during the war, meaning Sage Glass Pen will lose his status as the Head of the Literary Way. If nothing unexpected happens, Kong is the next head, and if he can truly manifest his destiny, the Literary Way will return to its status as one of the Big Three with Buddhism and Taoism."

A cunning light flashed in Dong Lifen’s eyes. "Could we take the leader position?"

"Not unless you kill Kong."

"Well..."

"Don’t even think about it," Wang Wei said, almost rolling his eyes. "Someone you should not be messing with has eyes on him, and not to mention the protection of destiny."

"Fine. How about we compete for a decent portion of the Literary Way’s destiny?" Dong Lifen countered. "Unlike Taoism and Buddhism, which are religions, the Literary Way is a School of Thought, making it more universal. The sect has countless scholars, meaning it’s in our best interest to have a large enough voice."

"You make a good point." The more luck and the destiny, the merrier.

"Good. Then, can I count on your support if I propose this idea at the Elder Council?"

"Sure, but you should understand that your husband is too far removed to be involved in such matters."

"I know. I’m just paving the way for his future," Dong Lifen replied. "Speaking of, I have a favor to ask. Can you make sure that Peng’er is not recruited for as long as possible? I have no issue with participating in the war, but he’s too weak."

"Isn’t that something you have the power to do?" Wang Wei asked. Dong Lifen was an Elder of the sect, and it was common for them to protect their talented descendants or loved ones.

"I may have offended Stone Face," she said with a wry smile, and Wang Wei understood. Stone Face was a Grand Elder (Peak Paragon), and he was known for two things: keeping strict and detailed records of all the sect’s operations — essentially turning him into the ultimate secretary — and his awful personality.

"How did you offend him?" Stone Face had a lot of power, and Wang Wei could see how he would influence people to send Wang Peng to the battlefield.

"It’s because of you," Yan Liling said. Her wine was finally finished.